1992–93 NHL season
Commemorative patch celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Stanley Cup
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 6, 1992 – June 9, 1993
Games	84
Teams	24
TV partner(s)	CBC,TSN,SRC (Canada) ESPN,ABC,NBC[a] (United States)
Draft
Top draft pick	Roman Hamrlik
Picked by	Tampa Bay Lightning
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy	Pittsburgh Penguins
SeasonMVP	Mario Lemieux (Penguins)
Top scorer	Mario Lemieux (Penguins)
Playoffs
PlayoffsMVP	Patrick Roy (Canadiens)
Stanley Cup
Champions	Montreal Canadiens
Runners-up	Los Angeles Kings
NHL seasons
← 1991–92 1993–94 →

The1992–93 NHL season was the76th regular season of theNational Hockey League. Each player wore a patch on their jersey throughout the season to commemorate the 100th anniversary of theStanley Cup. The league expanded to 24 teams with the addition of theOttawa Senators and theTampa Bay Lightning. Under the new labour agreement signed following the1992 NHL strike, each team began playing 84 games per season, including two home games at neutral sites.

TheMontreal Canadiens won their league-leading 24th Cup by defeating theLos Angeles Kings four games to one. This remains the last time that a Canadian team has won theStanley Cup.

It proved, at the time, to be the highest-scoring regular season in NHL history, as a total of 7,311 goals were scored over 1,008 games for an average of 7.25 per game.^[1] Twenty of the twenty-four teams scored three goals or more per game, and only two teams, theToronto Maple Leafs and theChicago Blackhawks, allowed fewer than three goals per game. Only 68 shutouts were recorded during the regular season.^[2] A record twenty-one players reachedthe 100-point plateau, while a record fourteen players reachedthe 50-goal plateau—both records still stand through the2024–25 season.

Through the halfway point in this seasonMario Lemieux was in the process of putting together one of the most historic seasons in NHL history; being on pace to challenge both the 92 goal and 215 point records ofWayne Gretzky when he was diagnosed withHodgkins Lymphoma.^[3] Lemieux still went on to win the Art Ross and Hart Trophies, despite every other player in the top five in league scoring playing a complete 84 game season to his 60 games. He also finished with the third highest point per game average in a season in league history.^[4]

This season saw two new clubs join the league: theOttawa Senators and theTampa Bay Lightning. The Senators were the second Ottawa-based NHL franchise (seeOttawa Senators (original)) and brought professional hockey back toCanada's capital, while the Tampa Bay franchise (headed byHockey Hall of Fame brothersPhil andTony Esposito) strengthened the NHL's presence in the AmericanSun Belt, which had first started with the birth of theLos Angeles Kings in1967. The1992 NHL expansion draft was held on June 18 to fill the rosters of the Senators and the Lightning.

This was the final season of the Wales and Campbell Conferences, and theAdams,Patrick,Norris, andSmythe divisions. Both the conferences and the divisions would be renamed to reflect geography rather than the league's history for the following season. This was also the last year (until the2013 realignment) in which the playoff structure bracketed and seeded teams by division; they would be bracketed and seeded by conference (as in theNBA) for1993–94.

The1992 NHL entry draft was held on June 20 at theMontreal Forum inMontreal,Quebec.Roman Hamrlik was selected first overall by theTampa Bay Lightning.

In the summer of 1992, NHL owners replaced NHL PresidentJohn Ziegler withGil Stein on an interim basis. Ziegler had held the position for 15 years, but owners became unhappy following the1992 NHL strike. On February 1, 1993,Gary Bettman became the first NHL Commissioner, with the office originally created assenior to Stein's position as NHL President. Working towards labour peace was among the tasks handed to Bettman when the owners hired him.^[5] After Stein's tenure expired on July 1, 1993, the President's office was merged into the Commissioner's.

All teams wore a commemorative patch this year celebrating the 100th anniversary of theStanley Cup.

• Instigating a fight results in a game misconduct penalty.
• Substitutions disallowed for coincidental minor penalties when teams are at full strength, reversing a rule passed for the1985–86 season.
• Minor penalty for diving introduced.

• The expansionOttawa Senators moved intoOttawa Civic Centre.
• The expansionTampa Bay Lightning moved intoExpo Hall inEast Lake-Orient Park, Florida.

As a part of the1992 strike settlement, the regular season was expanded from 80 to 84 games per team. The NHL and Bruce McNall's Multivision Marketing and Public Relations Co. organized the additional 24 regular season games in 15 cities that did not have a franchise, providing as a litmus test for future expansion. Four of the cities chosen –Phoenix,Atlanta,Dallas andMiami – were eventually the sites of expansion or relocations, and although neither Cleveland nor Cincinnati received NHL franchises, there would be one placed inColumbus, located halfway between the two cities. Two arenas that hosted neutral-site games had hosted NHL teams before: Atlanta'sThe Omni (Atlanta Flames) and Cleveland'sRichfield Coliseum (Cleveland Barons).

The Hartford-St. Louis game was originally scheduled to be played on December 29, 1992, inBirmingham, Alabama.^[31]

TheAll-Star Game was held on February 6, 1993, at theMontreal Forum, the home of theMontreal Canadiens.

Teemu Selanne of theWinnipeg Jets shattered the rookie scoring record by scoring 76 goals and 56 assists for 132 points this season. He was named the winner of theCalder Memorial Trophy as the NHL Rookie of the Year, and his goals and points marks remain the NHL rookie records as of 2024^[update].

TheNew York Rangers missed the playoffs. This marked the first time since the President's Trophy had been introduced that the previous season's top team missed the next year's playoffs.

For the first time in his NHL career,Wayne Gretzky did not finish in the top three in scoring. A back injury limited Gretzky to 45 games in which he scored 65 points.

The Pittsburgh Penguins set a new NHL record, winning 17 consecutive games. The streak ending with the regular season.

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points

^[32]

^[33]

^[34]

^[35]

The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. In each round, teams competed in abest-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). In the division semifinals, the fourthseeded team in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. The two winning teams from each division's semifinals then met in the division finals. The two division winners of each conference then played in the conference finals. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.

During the 1992-93 season, a record twenty-one players reachedthe 100-point plateau, while a record fourteen players reachedthe 50-goal plateau. As of the2023-24 season, both records still continue stand after three decades. This was also the last season that a NHL player scored 70 or more goals in a single regular season.

^[36]

• Manon Rheaume became the firstwoman to play for a majorsports league inNorth America as shetended goal for the Tampa Bay Lightning in anexhibition game on September 23, 1992, against theSt. Louis Blues.
• TheOttawa Senators andTampa Bay Lightning were two new teams to be added to the league, bringing the league to 24 teams, one-third of which were Canadian teams, as they comprised eight of the twenty-four teams. Both teams would win their opening games and briefly sit atop their respective Divisions, which led to Harry Neale jokingly proclaiming before the end of Ottawa's first win that both the Senators and Lightning would reach the Stanley Cup finals in May.
• October 1992:Gil Stein namedNHL President.
• February 1993:Gary Bettman named NHL Commissioner.
• Record set for most 100-point scorers and most 50-goal scorers in one season.
• February 10, 1993: In a 13–1 drubbing of theSan Jose Sharks,Calgary Flames goaltenderJeff Reese set NHL records for most points and most assists by a goaltender in one game, with three.
• The 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs marked the 100th anniversary of the Stanley Cup.
• Pittsburgh Penguins set the NHL record for longest win streak at 17 games. Conversely, theSan Jose Sharks tied the NHL record for longest losing streak at 17 games.

• June 30, 1992:Eric Lindrostraded from Quebec to Philadelphia forPeter Forsberg,Ron Hextall,Mike Ricci,Kerry Huffman,Steve Duchesne, "future considerations" (eventually became enforcerChris Simon), two first-rounddraft picks and US$15 million. One of the draft picks was used by the Nordiques to select goaltenderJocelyn Thibault, the other was traded twice and ultimately used by theWashington Capitals to selectNolan Baumgartner.

• Most losses, one season: San Jose Sharks (71)
• Fewest ties, one season: San Jose Sharks (2)
• Most home losses, one season: San Jose Sharks (32)
• Most road losses, one season: Ottawa Senators (40)
• Fewest road wins, one season: Ottawa Senators (1)*
• Longest winning streak: Pittsburgh Penguins (17) (All time NHL record)
• Longest losing streak: San Jose Sharks (17)*
• Longest road losing streak: Ottawa Senators (38)
• Longest road winless streak: Ottawa Senators (38)
• Most 100-or-more point scorers, one season: Pittsburgh Penguins (4)*
• Fastest three goals from the start of period, one team: Calgary Flames (0:53, February 10, 1993)

• Most goals, including playoffs: Wayne Gretzky (875)
• Most 30-goal seasons:Mike Gartner (14)*
• Most consecutive 30-goal seasons: Mike Gartner (14)
• Most goals, one season, by a left winger: Luc Robitaille (63)
• Most goals, one season, by a rookie: Teemu Selanne (76)
• Most assists, one season, by a left winger:Joe Juneau (70)
• Most assists, one season, by a rookie: Joe Juneau (70)* (Note: Wayne Gretzky scored 86 assists in his first year, but he was not considered a rookie)
• Most points, one season, by a left winger: Luc Robitaille (125)
• Most points, one season, by a rookie: Teemu Selanne (132) (Note: Wayne Gretzky scored 137 points in his first year, but he was not considered a rookie)
• Most assists, one game, by a goaltender: Jeff Reese (3, February 10, 1993)
• Most games missed while winning Art Ross Trophy: Mario Lemieux (24)

• Most overtime games, one playoff year: 28
• Most overtime wins, one playoff year: Montreal Canadiens (10)
• Most consecutive overtime wins, one playoff year: Montreal Canadiens (10)
• Most consecutive wins, one playoff year: Montreal Canadiens (11)*

• Most consecutive wins, one playoff year: Patrick Roy (11)*
• Most goals by a defenceman, one game:Eric Desjardins (3, June 3, 1993)*
• Most power-play goals, one game:Dino Ciccarelli (3, April 29, 1993)*
• Most shorthanded goals, one game:Tom Fitzgerald (2, May 8, 1993)*
• Most assists, one period: Adam Oates (3, April 24, 1993)*

* Equalled existing record

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1992–93 (listed with their first team):

• Byron Dafoe, Washington Capitals
• Roman Hamrlik, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Darius Kasparaitis, New York Islanders
• Steve Konowalchuk, Washington Capitals
• Alexei Kovalev, New York Rangers
• Robert Lang, Los Angeles Kings
• Eric Lindros, Philadelphia Flyers
• Vladimir Malakhov, New York Islanders
• Michael Nylander, Hartford Whalers
• Sandis Ozolinsh, San Jose Sharks
• Teemu Selanne, Winnipeg Jets
• Bryan Smolinski, Boston Bruins
• Martin Straka, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Alexei Zhamnov, Winnipeg Jets
• Sergei Zubov, New York Rangers

The following is a list of players of note who played their last game in the NHL in 1992–93 (listed with their last team):

• Reggie Lemelin, Boston Bruins
• Brent Ashton, Calgary Flames
• John Ogrodnick, Detroit Red Wings
• Tim Kerr, Hartford Whalers
• Bobby Smith, Minnesota North Stars
• Brian Mullen, New York Islanders
• Brad Marsh, Ottawa Senators
• Laurie Boschman, Ottawa Senators
• Brian Hayward, San Jose Sharks
• Brian Lawton, San Jose Sharks
• Doug Wilson, San Jose Sharks
• Rick Wamsley, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Steve Kasper, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Ryan Walter, Vancouver Canucks
• Rod Langway, Washington Capitals
• Randy Carlyle, Winnipeg Jets

Four of the five remaining helmetless players in the league played their final games: Carlyle, Marsh, Langway, and Wilson. The only remaining helmetless player wasCraig McTavish who retired following the 1996–97 season.

This was the fifth season of the league's Canadian national broadcast rights deals withTSN andHockey Night in Canada onCBC. Saturday night regular season games continued to air on CBC, while TSN televised selected weeknight games. Coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs was primarily on CBC, with TSN airing first round all-U.S. series.

ESPN signed an agreement for U.S. national broadcast rights, replacingSportsChannel America.^[37][38] However, SportsChannel America contended that its contract with the NHL gave them the right to match third-party offers for television rights for the 1992–93 season. Thus the network accused the NHL of violating a nonbinding clause, arguing that it had been deprived of its contractualright of first refusal for the 1992–93 season.Appellate Division of New York State Supreme Court justice Shirley Fingerwood would deny SportsChannel America's request for aninjunction against the NHL. Upholding that opinion, theappellate court found the agreement on which SportsChannel based its argument to be "too imprecise and ambiguous" and ruled that SportsChannel failed to show irreparable harm.^[39][40]

ESPN's weekly regular season games were generally broadcast on Wednesdays and Fridays. ESPN also had Sunday games between theNFL andbaseball seasons.^[41]

ESPN's deal did not include the All-Star Game;NBC instead televised it for the fourth consecutive season.

Through abrokered deal, sister broadcast networkABC televised five weekly playoff telecasts on Sunday afternoons starting on April 18 and ending on May 16. The first three weeks were regional coverage of various first and second round games, while the fourth and fifth games were nationally televised second round and Conference final contests, respectively.^{[42][43][44][45][46][47]} This marked the first time that playoff National Hockey League games were broadcast on American network television^[48] since1975.^{[49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66]} ESPN then televised selected first and second round games, the rest of the Conference finals, and the Stanley Cup Finals.

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1992 NHL entry draft
• 1992 NHL expansion draft
• 1992 NHL supplemental draft
• 1992–93 NHL transactions
• 44th National Hockey League All-Star Game
• National Hockey League All-Star Game
• NHL All-Rookie Team
• Lester Patrick Trophy
• 1992 in sports
• 1993 in sports

• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000).Total Hockey. Kingston, NY: Total Sports.ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
• Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011).The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates.ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
• Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000).Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd.ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
• Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003).The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International Inc.ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.

• Hockey Database
• [1]
• NHL Official Guide & Record Book 1993–94. Toronto, ON: NHL Publishing. 1993.ISBN 978-1-880141-43-4.

• 1992–93 NHL season
• 1992–93 in Canadian ice hockey by league
• 1992–93 in American ice hockey by league

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from August 2023
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2024
• All articles containing potentially dated statements